Program of Study (CAS Bulletin)

Major

With the help of the European and
Mediterranean Studies adviser, students prepare a preliminary program
outline at the time they declare their major. Although there are no
formal tracks, courses are normally organized around the interests of
a student in one of two ways: an emphasis on contemporary European
and Mediterranean societies—their problems and policies; or an
emphasis on contemporary European and Mediterranean cultures—their
ideas, values, and artistic and literary trends. The program enables
students to organize their courses around a practical or theoretical
problem in contemporary European society or culture that is
applicable to one or several countries. A typical problem might
include such subjects as the changing impact of politics on culture
and social cleavages; changing patterns of religious expression in
Europe; literary expression and changing society in Europe; the
European approach to urban problems; migration and ethnicity in
Europe; equality and inequality in Europe; and democratic transition
in Europe. The problem, for which the tools of several academic
disciplines should be applicable, will be the basis for the major
research project.

Ten 4-point courses beyond the
introductory level that deal with Europe and the Mediterranean are
required:

Two courses in history

Two courses in culture (literature, philosophy, art history, or cinema)

Two courses in the social sciences (politics, anthropology, sociology, or economics)

Two additional courses in any of the three preceding categories

One senior honors seminar in
European studies

One independent study during the
final semester, in which students complete and earn a grade for the senior thesis

The
interdisciplinary senior honors seminar should be taken during the
first semester of the senior year.

Majors are also required to complete at
least one semester of study away. Students may petition the
director of the center for exemption from this requirement.

Majors in European and Mediterranean
studies must have or attain advanced-level knowledge of a major
European language other than English (such as French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian, German, Greek, or Russian). To demonstrate this
knowledge, students must successfully complete an advanced-level
language course. The alternative to this is to pass the College of
Arts and Science (CAS) proficiency exam prior to graduation.

Minor

All students minoring in European and
Mediterranean Studies must demonstrate proficiency in at least one
European language above the intermediate level (such as French,
German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, or Greek). They must also take four 4-point courses as follows: one course in European
history; one course in European culture (literature, philosophy, art history, or cinema); one course in social sciences (politics, anthropology,
sociology, or economics); and one additional course in any of the three preceding categories. All
course programs must be designed in consultation with the center's
undergraduate program adviser.

B.A./M.A. Program

This program offers qualifying majors
in European and Mediterranean studies the opportunity to earn both
the B.A. and the M.A. degrees at reduced tuition cost. By completing
some of their graduate requirements while still undergraduates,
students can finish the program in five years. In the graduate
portion of the program, students can qualify for a scholarship that
covers up to half of the tuition for the courses required for the
M.A.

European and Mediterranean Studies
majors may apply for admission to the program after they have
completed at least 48 points in the College, but not more than 96
credits or six semesters. Students apply for admission to the
B.A./M.A. program through the CAS Advising Center. Applications are
reviewed by the Graduate Admission Committee of the Center for
European and Mediterranean Studies, using the normal criteria for the
M.A. program, except that applicants are not required to take the
GRE. The committee bases its decision on students' undergraduate
records and recommendations of NYU instructors.

A working knowledge at an advanced
level of a European language (other than English) is required to
complete the program, and knowledge of a second European language is
encouraged. Students must spend at least one semester in an approved
academic program in Europe, normally during their junior year.
Students are also required to write a senior honors thesis and a
master's thesis or special project (see below) to earn the two
degrees.

The program requires a total of
eighteen courses: ten undergraduate courses and eight graduate
courses. For the first four years, students focus their work on a
"problem area" that will eventually become the subject of their
master's thesis, should they choose this option. The senior honors
thesis is an integrative project within the problem area developed by
the student and his or her adviser. It may be an expansion of a
research paper written for an undergraduate course.

The graduate portion of the degree
comprises three tracks—European politics and policy, European
culture and society, and Mediterranean studies—and students must
choose one of these by the beginning of their fifth year. Of the
eight graduate courses, two are required: a graduate research seminar
in European and Mediterranean Studies, as well as the introductory
graduate course What Is Europe? (EURO-GA 2301). Students select six
additional graduate courses in their chosen track. A 4-point
internship, approved by the Center, is recommended.

Each student's program is organized
with his or her adviser at the time that the student enters the
program. The first draft of the thesis is developed in the
Undergraduate Research Seminar (EURO-UA 300), taken in the fall
semester of the fourth year. The master's thesis may be a revision
of this project and is further developed in the graduate Research
Seminar (EURO-GA 3000), taken in the spring semester of the fifth
year. The M.A. thesis or special project will be defended at an oral
examination during the spring semester of the fifth year.

Eurosim

EUROSIM is an annual model European
Union simulation designed to enhance students' classroom knowledge
of the workings of a politically and economically integrated Europe.
The simulation exercise models the legislative procedure of the
European Union from the introduction of a draft resolution by the
European Commission to the acceptance (or rejection) of an amended
document by the European Council.

Each year, New York State colleges and
universities send a delegation of undergraduate students to EUROSIM
to represent one of the member states of the European Union and the
European Commission. The legislation on which delegates work is
focused on one main theme chosen for its relevance to current
European issues. Students individually play the roles of real-life
government ministers, members of the European Parliament, and members
of the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the
Regions.

EUROSIM is held in alternating years in
the United States and in Europe. In addition, several European
universities send students to be part of their respective
member-state delegations alongside the American students. In this
way, U.S. students receive a "home-grown" perspective on the
issues that they are debating.